


Four Days

by ch3rrychapst1ck



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Dialogue Heavy, Doomsday, F/F, Getting Together, M/M, Minor Akamatsu Kaede/Harukawa Maki, No Smut, Set in America, first fic, kinda self indulgent, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:54:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24947974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ch3rrychapst1ck/pseuds/ch3rrychapst1ck
Summary: What do you do if the world is ending in four days?Well, if you’re Shuichi Saihara, your plans are to hole yourself up in your apartment and waste away.But what happens when your best friend and longtime crush, Kaito Momota, calls you and asks if you want to go on one last adventure?
Relationships: Momota Kaito/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 42
Kudos: 144





	1. Three Days Left

**Author's Note:**

> :) this is my first fic! i noticed there weren’t a lot of saimota fanfics here and i wanted to make one! so please enjoy!

_ Urgent News!  _

_ The meteor will be crashing into the Earth, most likely terminating everything in four days. I repeat, four days. _

Shuichi Saihara tore his eyes from the small television screen. The news had been repeating this broadcast for the last month. 

Usually, people would be scrambling home to see their family and friends one last time before they were too late, but Shuichi had never been too close to his family, and he already tearfully said his goodbyes to his few friends.

He got up from his old, worn couch and paced around his small studio apartment. The usually bustling New York City street he lived next to was unusually quiet.

He didn’t have any plans for spending the last four days of his life. Some people would say that lying around your apartment would be the biggest waste of time, but Shuichi disagreed. What else was he to do?

He was torn from his thoughts when his phone started vibrating and playing  _ Fly Me To The Moon _ by Frank Sinatra, which was Kaito’s ringtone. Kaito was Shuichi’s best friend and the guy he had been crushing on for the last two years. Shuichi quickly answered the call.

“Hey, Kaito, what’s up?”

“Shuichi, wanna go on one last adventure?”

“H-Huh?” Shuichi asked, “What do you mean?”

He heard Kaito laugh through the phone, “I mean, wanna go on an adventure? We have four days left to live, and I can’t imagine not spending it with you!”

Shuichi flushed, “Wait, so where would we go?”

“Death Valley!” Kaito exclaimed excitedly.

“D-Death Valley?”

“It’s the absolute  _ best  _ place to stargaze! It’s in California, so we can use my car and drive over!”

“Kaito, you realize California is across the country, right?”

“Exactly! We have four days! C’mon sidekick, what do you say?”

Shuichi sighed, but going on a road trip with Kaito sounded better than wasting away in this apartment.

“Okay. I’ll go with you.”

“Awesome!! I’ll pick you up in ten, okay?”

Shuichi agreed and ended the call. Dear God, what has he gotten himself 

The window rolled down to reveal Kaito, his dark purple hair gelled to its usual spiked hairstyle and his bright, mismatched clothing contrasting with Shuichi’s dark, monochromatic outfit.

“C’mon sidekick! Death Valley waits for no man!”

Shuichi laughed softly and got into the passenger seat. He threw his duffle bag in the back with Kaito’s belongings.

“Are you ready, Shuichi!?” Kaito asked, giving him a large smile.

“Yes! Let’s go!”

* * *

The two drove for around three hours, talking and listening to music on the radio. Every few songs, the radio would play the warning message about the meteor.

While they were driving, Shuichi noticed a sign. It read, “NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: take a left.”

“Hey Kaito, take a left here, would you?”

“Huh? Uh, okay.”

Kaito made a sharp left turn, and they arrived at the Space Flight Center fifteen minutes later.

“Shuichi, what is this?”

“Well, I noticed a sign that was advertising this. It’s the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. I thought you might like it; besides, you need a break from driving.”

Kaito threw his arms around Shuichi, “You’re the best sidekick ever, you know that?”

Shuichi could feel his face turning red, “I-It’s not that big of a deal, Kaito!”

“It is for me. Thank you, Shuichi.” Kaito pulled his arms away and took Shuichi’s hand and started dragging him around the center.

* * *

Shuichi couldn’t feel his feet. They had been at the Space Flight Center for five hours, but Kaito still seemed to be full of energy.

“This is the coolest place ever! Thank you for bringing me, Shuichi!”

Shuichi laughed, “It’s okay, I’m glad you like it,” He checked his watch, it was five o’clock, “Let’s head out in a bit, is that okay?”

Kaito nodded, “Before we leave,” He raised his phone, pulled Shuichi close to him, and said, “Smile!” He quickly snapped a photo before Shuichi could protest.

Kaito smiled down at his phone, “That’s gonna be my new lock screen!”

“Kaito!”

* * *

After picking up some McDonald’s and eating in the car, they were back on the road.

“Kaito?”

“Yeah, Shuichi?”

“Do you regret anything? You know, since the world is ending in four days?”

Kaito thought for a bit, “Not really, I live life with no regrets. I like to think everything I do has a purpose! What about you?”

“Oh, uh,” Shuichi was silent for a second, “Well, I regret not confessing to the person I like, but that’s basically it.”

Kaito turned in his seat, “Dude, you still have time to confess!! Do it. You have their number, right?”

Shuichi flushed, “What? No, I- huh? I’m not going to do it now! Maybe later… Also, keep your eyes on the road!”

He laughed, “Well, I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to, but I don’t want you to die with anything regrets.” Kaito yawned, “What time is it, Shuichi?”

Shuichi nodded along with his words and then checked his phone, “It’s about ten, why?”

“I didn’t sleep all that well last night, so I was feeling a little tired.”

“Kaito! Why didn’t you tell me sooner! Here, let me drive.”

“No offense, but you suck at driving Shuichi,” Kaito handed Shuichi his phone, “Here, I have Yelp on my phone, look for a hotel nearby.”

Shuichi noticed his lock screen was the photo they took together at the Flight Center; he smiled softly at that, “Oh, Kaito, what’s your passcode?”

“It’s my birthday!”

Shuichi quickly typed in 0412 and started looking for a nearby hotel. He found one that was around an hour away. “Kaito, you think you can stay awake for an hour?”

“Of course, I can!”

Once they made it to the hotel, they checked in with the green-haired employee at the front desk.

“I would like a room with two beds for one night, please,” Shuichi said with a small smile.

The employee nodded, “Ok, that will be 68 dollars.”

Shuichi swiped his credit card, and the employee, Rantaro, was the name on the nametag, gave them a room key.

“You’ll be in room 238, it’s on the second floor,” Rantaro said with a tired smile.

“Thank you so much!”

* * *

It was one in the morning, and Shuichi could not sleep. Right as they arrived at their room, Kaito immediately collapsed on his bed and promptly passed out. Shuichi had a lot less luck. The hotel room was freezing. Usually, Shuichi slept with at least three blankets and a sweatshirt on. All the hotel had provided was a paper-thin blanket that he could barely pull up past his shoulders. After tossing and turn a bit more, he heard a soft mumble,

“Shuichi? Are you still awake?”

_ Shit, did I wake him up? _

“Uh yeah, sorry if I woke you up…”

“No, it’s ok. Why can’t you sleep? Do you need to talk about it?”

“No, no, it’s just that I’m cold.”

“You’re cold? Why didn’t you say so before?”

Shuichi heard Kaito shuffling, then getting up.

“Kaito? What are you doing?”

Kaito sat on the edge of Shuichi’s bed, “I’m going to share the bed with you! It’s cold, and we’ll be able to warm each other up!”

Shuichi opened his mouth then decided against saying anything, he wouldn’t be able to change Kaito’s mind, and besides, he was freezing.

“O-Ok.”

With that, Kaito got into Shuichi’s bed, then wrapped an arm around him, pulling him to his chest. Shuichi could feel his face heating up and thanking his past self for not turning on the light.

“You getting warmer?”

“Y-yeah, thanks, Kaito.”

“Anything for my sidekick.”

With that, Kaito fell asleep, Shuichi following him only a few minutes later.


	2. Two Days Left

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter! i have just realized kaito has not said “bro” one time in this fic,,, i am so sorry. also, they’re supposed to be 18-19 in this, i like to think they’re both college age.

When Shuichi awoke, he wondered why his apartment was so cold, also, why were someone’s arms around him?

“Oh shi-”

Realization hit him. He was in a hotel with Kaito, Kaito had slept in the same bed with him to warm him up, and somehow, during the night, Shuichi and Kaito had started cuddling. Shuichi felt his face heat up as he tried to untangle himself without waking Kaito. Once he did that, he scooted to the opposite side of the bed and tried to collect himself. He turned to look at the taller teen’s sleeping form. He looked so… peaceful.

Kaito groaned and shifted once, before opening his eyes, “Heya sidekick,” he mumbled softly before yawning.

“Hi, you ready to get back on the road?”

“Breakfast first.” Kaito sat up and rubbed his eyes, then got out of the bed. Shuichi followed. Once they both got dressed and cleaned up, they ventured downstairs in search of food.

The receptionist from the previous day, Rantaro, was still at the desk but had at least three empty coffee cups by him and even darker eye bags. Shuichi returned the room key while Kaito pulled up the car and placed their luggage in the backseat.

Shuichi met Kaito in the front and climbed into the passenger seat.

“You ready?” asked the purple-haired teen.

* * *

Driving with Kaito was fun. He was good at keeping the conversation flowing, made jokes at the right moments, and always had a fun story to tell. Shuichi hadn’t noticed five hours had passed until he checked his phone after they passed a “Welcome to Illinois” sign. 

“And then, I told her that I was actually the presi-”

The car made a loud, screeching noise and shuddered to a stop.

“Uh, Kaito, what just happened?”

“I’m not sure. I’m gonna check the engine, would you mind checking if there’s a mechanic open nearby?” Thankfully, they were on a road in the middle of nowhere and no cars were near them. 

Shuichi nodded, took Kaito’s phone, and started looking. He found one about fifteen minutes away and called the number listed on the website. The phone rang twice before someone picked up,

“Joan’s Sperm Bank, you squeeze it, we freeze it. How can I help you?”

“I-I’m sorry this must be the wrong number,” Shuichi stuttered out, going to press the end call button, but before he could, he heard raucous laughter coming from the other end.

“I-I was joking!!” The person on the other end wheezed, “You’re talkin’ to the gorgeous girl genius, Miu Iruma, how can I help ya?”

“Uh, my… friend’s car broke down, and we’re stranded.”

“And what do ya want me to do about it?”

“I mean, you’re a mechanic, right? Can you, you know, fix our car?”

“Pft, hell yeah, I can! Tell me where you are, and I’ll come to tow ya!”

Shuichi quickly recited their location. Once she confirmed that she would be there in around fifteen minutes, he hung up and got out of the car to tell Kaito.

The taller teen had the roof of the car popped up. He had discarded his jacket and rolled his sleeves up, revealing his muscular biceps Shuichi couldn’t help but notice. Once he saw Shuichi, he said with a large smile, “I have no idea what I’m doing. Did you find a mechanic?”

Shuichi nodded and told him about the call. After Kaito attempting (and failing) to fix the car himself, a large tow truck pulled up. The door opened, and the mechanic, Miu, stepped out. She looked to be around their age and wore a grease-stained baby pink coverall that was unzipped enough to show her black sports bra. Her dyed blonde hair was tied in a ponytail that swished when she walked towards them. When she reached the car, she pushed Kaito out of the way to examine the car herself. She scowled, slammed the hood of the car down, and turned to the two boys.

“To put it bluntly, your car’s fucked. There’s not much I can do for it, the thing’s fuckin’ ancient. You’re better off with a new one.”

Kaito took a step forward, “Ok, well, where’s the nearest car salesman?”

Miu tossed her ponytail over her shoulder, “I flip cars for fun, ya know, like buyin’ shit cars and replacing the engine and shit. I have a few at my shop if you want me to give you a ride over.”

“T-That would be great, thank you!” Shuichi said with a small smile.

The two boys grabbed their bags and got into Miu’s truck as she hooked their car up to the tow. The car ride to Miu’s shop was silent except for Miu talking to them and Kaito occasionally replying. Soon they reached her small garage. A boy with silvery-grey that looked to be their age was waiting outside. Miu stepped out of the car first and yelled to the boy.

“Hey! Kiibitch! Would you mind showing the flipped cars to these two?”

Kaito stepped out of the truck first and grabbed both of their bags, then walked over to Miu to grab some stuff from his car. Shuichi walked over to the other boy, was his name really Kiibitch? Who in their right mind would name their kid that?

“Uh, hi. I’m Shuichi. Shuichi Saihara.” He stuck his hand out for the other to shake.

The teen looked at his hand then looked back up at him. He looked around like he was reading math equations written in the air before it clicked. He shook Shuichi’s hand as he nervously laughed, “Sorry about that. I’m Kiibo, not Kiibitch. Miu just likes to call me that. Do you want to call your boyfriend over and I can show you all the cars?”

Shuichi flushed and looked down, “H-He’s not my boyfriend.”

“H-He’s not? Oh my gosh, I am  _ so _ sorry!”

“I-It’s okay.” Shuichi waved Kaito over and followed Kiibo into a small yard with a few cars on display. Kaito immediately walked towards a bright purple pick-up truck while Shuichi examined a little, dark blue, almost black, car that matched the color of his hair.

“Shuichi. We have to get this one,” Kaito pointed to the purple truck that he was examining a few seconds ago.

“...Really?”

“Yes, really! Look at it!”

“Are you sure you don’t want a more practical one?”

“This one is practical! C’mon sidekick, we’re probably gonna die in two days, don’t you want to go out in style?”

Shuichi sighed, Kaito had already made up his mind, it was no use arguing with him anymore, “Fine,” He turned to Kiibo who was standing a few feet away, “Hey Kiibo, how much does that car cost?” He pointed to the purple monstrosity.

“Uh, well, since doomsday is coming up soon, I’ll see it to you guys for, hmmm, 2,000?”

Shuichi sighed, and Kaito excitedly took his card from his wallet, “Do you guys take credit?”

Ten minutes later, Kaito was behind the wheel of his new pick-up truck, “I was thinkin’ about calling him Orion, ya know, like the constellation?”

Shuichi laughed softly and smiled, “Sounds great, Kaito, I like it.”

Kaito smiled back at him, and the two of them eased into a natural conversation.

* * *

Shuichi yawned, it was dark outside. They had been driving for around six hours, stopping once at a Subway’s to pick up dinner.

“Kaito, can I have your phone? I’m going to start looking for a nearby hotel.”

“Yeah sure,” Kaito handed him his phone, but before Shuichi could unlock it, he said, “We should go camping. Like find a campsite, and we could sleep in the back of the truck!”

“Wait, really?”

“Yes! Doesn’t that sound fun!”

“Uh, I mean, we could do that.”

Kaito pumped his fist, and Shuichi found a campsite that was reasonably close, only around fifteen minutes away. He directed him towards it, and they arrived quickly. After paying the fee, Kaito pulled the truck into a small clearing used for camping. The two of them climbed into the back of the car. The stars were visible behind the thick canopy of trees.

_ I should confess to Kaito. It’s the perfect time. _

Shuichi shuddered, from the cold air and the thought telling him.

“You cold?”

“Y-Yeah, kinda…”

Shuichi felt something get wrapped around his shoulders. It was Kaito’s purple coat. The one he always wore. He blushed and said, “Thanks, Kaito,” as he wrapped it tighter around himself.

Kaito gave Shuichi a wide grin, “Anything for you, sidekick.”

_ I’m going to tell him. _

“L-Listen, Kaito, I have to tell y-”

“Remember that conversation we had yesterday?” Kaito said, interrupting him, “About our regrets?

“Yeah, I do, but Kaito I have t-”

Kaito interrupted Shuichi again, “I realized my ‘I have no regrets’ thing was bullshit. I do regret one thing.”

“That’s cool but-”

“Damn it, Shuichi, please stop interrupting me, I’m trying to confess here!”

That shut Shuichi up.

“W-What?”

Kaito laughed and scratched the back of his neck, “Yeah, sorry if that makes it awkward between us… I just wanted to tell you before we-”

Shuichi cut him off by leaning in and kissing him.

Kissing Kaito just felt… right. Like he was meant to do it.

Kaito was the first one to break away from the kiss, “Y-You mean-?”

Shuichi nodded, “I like you too, Kaito. I was trying to confess as well; that’s why I was interrupting you.”

Kaito kissed Shuichi’s check and wrapped his arm around his shoulders, and pulled him close.

“So does this mean we’re a thing?”

Shuichi laughed softly, “I guess so.”

The two of them stargazed in comfortable silence until Shuichi fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 💗💕 thanks for reading! i hope you enjoyed this chapter. i’ll be posting the next one soon!
> 
> kissing the homies isn’t gay... right? neither is giving them your jacket... or confessing your love... right?


	3. One Day Left

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! i’m so sorry this took forever to put out. i had MAJOR writers block. anyways! thank you for all of your kudos and comments! enjoy reading this chapter!

Shuichi woke up in the backseat of the pickup truck, with Kaito’s jacket draped over him like a blanket. He yawned and sat up. Kaito was in the driver’s seat, driving slowly and playing quiet music that he was humming along to. A glance at the digital clock on the dashboard told him that it was almost ten. Then it hit him. There was only one day left before the meteor made the Earth uninhabitable. Shuichi came to terms with the inevitably of his death around the month the meteor was first announced. Sure, it was sad and all, but he accepted there wasn’t much he could do about it. He just tried to keep living his normal life.

“Shuichi! Good morning!” Kaito’s bright voice brought him back from his thoughts.

Shuichi yawned again and then said, “Good morning to you too... How long have you been driving?”

The taller haired boy laughed, “Not that long, only one or two hours.”

“Kaito! You should’ve woken me up! I know you get bored when driving.”

He shook his head, “Nah, you looked so comfortable, I felt bad just moving you!”

Shuichi chuckled and shook his head, “You’re so dumb sometimes…” He paused and added quickly, “In the best ways possible, though!”

“Oh shut up,” Kaito replied jokingly, which made both of them laugh. While Shuichi was climbing into the passenger seat, Kaito leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

_ Oh right, _ Shuichi thought,  _ Last night happened _ .

Shuichi blushed, “K-Kaito!” 

“Am I not allowed to kiss my boyfriend?”

Shuichi’s blush deepened. He sat down in the passenger’s seat, then intertwined his fingers with Kaito’s.

Shuichi pretended not to see the red glow that was slowly becoming apparent on his boyfriend’s face.

* * *

The car was unusually silent. Shuichi seemed to be more lost in his thoughts than usual. Anytime Kaito would try to start a conversation or ask him a question, the dark-haired teen would either not reply, opting to stare out of a window, or responded with short, one-word answers. They had been driving for around an hour, and Nebraska’s landscaping was nothing exciting, just miles and miles of empty plains. Kaito could barely handle it. After passing another mile of an identical-looking field, Kaito spoke up and said, “Is something bothering you?”

Shuichi jumped slightly, seeming to be a little startled, “Oh, uh, no. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You seem kinda bothered. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

“Yeah, I know. I just don’t want to bother you with my problems.”

“Shut your mouth; you could never bother me with anything.”

“Oh. Okay, well. It’s just that, you know, the world is ending tomorrow. Like, I-I’ve accepted the inevitability, but it’s just so weird that it’s happening tomorrow…”

Kaito gripped his boyfriend’s hand. “Yeah… I get it. Like, I don’t regret much… but I wish I could have done more.”

Shuichi nodded, “I get that. I want to graduate college, I want to get married, and I- I just want to live a normal life, you know?”

They turned onto a road, and unsurprisingly, it was more fields. No one was on the road. Everything just looked so… empty.

“Shuichi, you gotta do something that will make you feel better, but you have to trust me, alright?”

“Wha?”

“Just trust me!” Kaito turned his head and gave Shuichi a big smile.

“Uh, alright?”

“Alright!! So you see the window in the back?” He gestured to the small window that was behind the middle seat in the back row. It seemed to open horizontally and was large enough that someone could crawl through it. The window led to the truck bed, which was empty. 

Shuichi nodded, turned to the back window, “Yeah? What about it?”

“Climb out of it!”

“What?!” Shuichi responded almost immediately.

“Trust me! I promise you won’t get hurt.”

Shuichi took a deep breath, unbuckled his seatbelt, and started climbing to the back window. 

_ Oh geez, what am I getting myself into? _

Once he opened the window, the wind whistling into the car, he turned to Kaito and asked, “What do I do after I climb out?”

“Stand up, and you’ll know what to do after that!”

Shuichi sighed and managed to crawl through the small opening and tumbled into the truck bed. He stood on shaky legs, trying to keep his balance as the truck sped down the empty road. Shuichi clenched the car’s roof as he tried to regain his balance. He could hear Kaito shout something unintelligible.

“WHAT?!” Shuichi yelled back. Instead of hearing a response, he felt the car speed up and heard the noise of Kaito rolling down the windows and turning up the radio to a song Shuichi recognized but couldn’t figure how he knew it. “KAITO?!” Shuichi yelled again.

This time Shuichi could hear Kaito’s response, “LET GO OF THE CAR! SPREAD YOUR ARMS!”

Shuichi inhaled, cursing the creator of the pick-up truck in his mind, before letting go of the car, spreading his arms.

The feeling was incredible. He could feel the wind mussing up his hair, blowing up against his face and clothes. He opened his eyes, not realizing they were shut and laughed. The complete exhilaration of it was intoxicating to Shuichi. He looked down to see Kaito sticking his head of the window and heard a faint yell coming from his mouth. Shuichi did the same, tilting his head back and yelling. He yelled until he was out of breath. The song had ended, and the car was slowly decreasing its speed. The teen could tell his dark hair was sticking up in wayward directions as he climbed back through the window.

“How’d you like it? You feel better?”

“T-That was amazing,” Shuichi softly replied as he closed and locked the back window.

“See! I told you that you would like it!” Kaito said as he rolled up the windows and started to turn down the radio.

He climbed back into the passenger seat, put his seatbelt, and turned to Kaito, “Thank you… for everything.”

Kaito gave him a small smile before intertwining his fingers with Shuichi’s, “Of course. Thank you for coming with me. I can’t imagine doing this without you.”

* * *

After driving for a few hours, Kaito handed Shuichi his phone. “I can’t look at any more farmland. Please just find somewhere that we can get lunch.”

Shuichi laughed quietly before unlocking his phone and looking for a nearby cafe. There weren’t many options, as they were in the middle of nowhere, and most places were closed due to the nearing doomsday. After scrolling, Shuichi found a small, close cafe, decided that it seemed like a right spot, then started giving directions to Kaito. Around ten minutes later, Kaito pulled into the cafe’s tiny parking lot. 

The best word to describe the cafe was probably quaint. It was a small brick building that had a small garden and a few trees in the front, lining the path to the front door. Little metal dog bowls were near the door, and a small canopy protected them from the hot sun. There was a small sign on the door that read, “We Are: Open!”. A soft bell chimed when Kaito opened the door, and soft piano music flooded through the doorway. The two of them grabbed each other’s hands and walked in together. The cafe was empty except for two girls that looked to be around the two boys’ age. One of them, a tall blonde, was at a piano that was nestled in the corner of the cafe. The other, a shorter brunette, sat at a close table, listening to the soft melody the other was playing. Shuichi and Kaito stood for a bit, listening to the rest of the song. Once it finished, the blonde stood up and gave the two of them a warm smile.

“Hello! Welcome! I hope you guys weren’t standing there for too long.”

Kaito laughed, “Nah, don’t worry! That song was beautiful!”

She smiled, “Aw, thank you! I’m Kaede Akamatsu, and you are?”

“Kaito Momota!”

“I’m Shuichi. Shuichi Saihara.” Shuichi said, giving her a soft smile.

“The person over there is Maki, my girlfriend.”

Maki gave both of them a dry, obviously forced smile and Kaito gave her a small wave.

“So, I haven’t seen you guys around here before! I never forget a face, so, if you don’t mind me asking, what are you guys doing here?” Kaede asked.

Kaito answered quickly, “We’re on a road trip actually! We’re driving to Death Valley. In California?”

Kaede nodded, “Yeah, Maki and I’ve been there once, it’s beautiful. You’ll definitely enjoy it. We found the best spot for stargazing. Oh wait! Here, I’ll make a map for you guys.” She grabbed a nearby napkin and a pen from her apron and scribbled a map for them, making an X for the spot she told them about.

“Wow, thank you!” Kaito smiled as he took the map from her.

“Of course! Anyways, do you guys want to have a seat?” They both nodded, and she led them to a table near the piano.

Kaede sat down and motioned Maki over who sat down as well.

Shuichi asked once they both sat down, “I was wondering, please don’t feel pressured to answer this, but why are you guys here? Like still working?”

Kaede laughed, “Well, we’re good friends with the manager. She wanted to visit all of her out-of-town relatives and knew we weren’t leaving here, so she asked if we wanted to watch over it. We agreed because we didn’t have anything better to do!” 

Shuichi nodded. The four of them talked, well mainly Kaito and Kaede spoke. Shuichi talked some, but primarily listening, while Maki spoke even less. While in the middle of a conversation about snakes (Shuichi still had no idea how they got to that topic), she had gotten up and brought back a few muffins and four cups of coffee. 

It was easy to talk to Kaede. She always was able to talk about the most random topics and provided entertaining conversation starters. From their conversation, Shuichi found out that they were nineteen as well, that Kaede and Maki had been dating for four years, that they met in high school, and Kaede was a trained pianist. They went to college in California before it closed, and came back to their hometown to see their families and friends. 

The four of them talked for around three hours about strange, mundane topics. When Shuichi and Kaito were about to leave, Maki gave them a small, brown paper bag full of muffins. Kaede hugged them both and wished them luck on their journey. As the two boys got in their car to drive away, the two girls stood outside, their hands clasped together, waving goodbye to them.

As they drove off, Shuichi said quietly, “I-I feel like we could have been close friends with them in another life…”

Kaito nodded, grabbed Shuichi’s hand, then leaned over and kissed his temple, “Yeah, I agree with you.”

* * *

The two of them drove for a few more hours on the empty road, talking about whatever came to mind. After a bit, Kaito yawned and wordlessly handed Shuichi his phone, who took that as a sign to start looking for a hotel. He quickly found one nearby, and within an hour, they were pulling into the parking lot. After paying, the receptionist handed them their room key and which Shuichi took. After they got to the room, Shuichi took off his shoes and promptly fell onto the queen-sized bed. He heard Kaito laugh before getting in as well after clicking off the lights.

Shuichi felt Kaito’s warm arms wrap around his torso as the purple-haired teen asked, “Are you cold?”

“Not anymore,” Shuichi turned, so he was facing Kaito, then kissed him on his cheek, “Goodnight, Kaito.”

“Goodnight, sidekick.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading, i hope you enjoyed it. as always, please leave comments and kudos! i like to imagine the song that shuichi is having his teen movie moment™️ to is electric love by børns, it’s a very good song btw. the next chapter is going to be the last so i hope you’re ready? excited? i don’t know haha. once again, thank you so much for reading!


	4. Last Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, this is the last chapter! i made a spotify playlist for this fic because i have no self-control:  
> https://open.spotify.com/user/lfjt7vpacig9fkhx2jqltj3nf/playlist/4NpC9P2nKFSn9eJjGw4RqO?si=OX3SgfHzRoiONWCAzckt2Q
> 
> thank you so much for reading and i really hope you enjoy reading!

The soft sound of a shower running woke Shuichi up. He yawned and slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes. On the nightstand, the digital clock read 9:24. Next to the clock was a mug of black coffee, recently made, as the steam was still rising. A small piece of hotel stationery was by it. A hand-drawn heart hastily scribbled on the paper. As Kaito didn’t like coffee without enough cream to turn it a light shade of brown, Shuichi guessed it was for him. 

As he sipped the coffee, he heard the shower stop, and a few minutes later, Kaito stepped out of the bathroom already dressed, with his usually spiked purple hair in a small ponytail at the base of his neck. He smiled when he saw that Shuichi was awake.

“G’morning!”

“Good morning,” Shuichi smiled back. After he finished the coffee, he quickly took a shower and got ready to get back on the road. They only had a few hours left before they got to their destination. 

_ And then what? _ Shuichi thought  _ We die, I guess. _

Shaking away the bad thoughts from his mind as he shoved his bag back into the car,  _ Nope. You’re not allowed to be sad today. _

He smiled softly and patted the side of the purple car, Orion, if he remembered correctly. They only had the car for two days, but it already had become a host for so many good memories.

“You ready?” Shuichi heard Kaito call from the driver’s seat.

“Yep!” Shuichi finished putting their bags into the car and hopped into the passenger’s seat, quickly buckling his seatbelt and turning to Kaito, “Let’s go!”

* * *

As the two of them drove down another empty road, Shuichi said, “You know, I was planning on confessing when you confessed.”

Kaito snorted, “Wait, really? Is that why you were interrupting me?”

Shuichi laughed softly and nodded, “I was scared you were going to friend-zone me or something.”

He burst out laughing, “Well, that obviously didn’t happen!”

Shuichi laughed with him, then grabbed his hand.

“I don’t want this to end.”

“Me either.”

* * *

Las Vegas was strangely quiet. The hotels and casinos that usually had flashing lights and music on 24/7 were dark and silent. There were only a few cars that Shuichi took notice of. As he was zoning out and staring out of the car’s window, he felt the car come to a stop and Kaito’s warm hand touching his shoulder.

“Shuichi?”

Shuichi snapped out of his daze, “Uh, yeah? What’s up?”

Kaito smiled and pointed to a sign on a building, Shuichi’s eyes widened as he read it.

“Wanna get married?”

Shuichi stared at him, millions of thoughts running through his head. After a few seconds of Shuichi staring at Kaito, not blinking, Kaito snapped in his fingers in front of his boyfriend’s face.

“You know we don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Kaito said, “I didn’t mean it spring it on you like that. I just tho-”

“Yes,” Shuichi said, interrupting Kaito, “Let’s do it.”

A wide grin split Kaito’s face, “Really? Hell yeah!”

They walked out of the chapel thirty minutes later, hand-in-hand. They were legally married. Well, as legal a Las Vegas drive-up chapel was. Their simple, silver rings glinted in the sunlight. The jewelry store had marked them up so high that it was ridiculous, but hey, it was the end of the world. What else would they spend the money on? The officiant, Angie, waved them off.

“Atua smiles upon you! Congratulations!”

Shuichi and Kaito waved at her back as they walked to the car. Once they had gotten in, Shuichi leaned over to kiss his boyfriend’s, no, husband’s cheek. Kaito started the car, then intertwined his fingers with Shuichi’s, “You ready to go… husband?” Kaito said, in a slightly joking tone.

Shuichi smiled and squeezed Kaito’s hand, “Yes. Let’s go… husband.”

* * *

After driving for around three hours, they had finally made it to California.

“I can’t believe we’re here…” Shuchi said, staring at the palm trees lining the streets and the clear, blue sky.

Kaito laughed, “You’re acting as you’ve never been to California before!”

Shuichi looked at him, “Because I haven’t. I’ve never been to the West Coast.”

“Wait wait; you’ve never been-”

“Been to the West Coast, yes,” Shuichi finished Kaito’s thought for him.

“So you’ve never had In-n-Out?”

“What’s that?”

That nearly made Kaito slam on the brakes, “You don’t know what In-n-Out is?”

Shuichi shook his head, “I won’t know until you tell me.”

“It’s only the best burger place in the world!”

He thought for a second, “No, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it.”

Kaito tossed Shuichi his phone, “Search for the closest, open In-n-Out. You are going to try it.”

Shuichi laughed, and before he unlocked his husband’s phone, he took notice of the lock screen for the first time. It was the photo they had taken at the space center only three days ago. Shuichi smiled, then unlocked the phone. It took them a while to get to the In-n-Out, all of the nearby ones were closed, obviously, so the two of them had to drive around thirty minutes to go to an open one. Shuichi had told Kaito that it wasn’t a huge deal and that he would be fine dying without trying In-n-Out, but Kaito refused to take no for an answer and insisted. 

Fifteen minutes later, they sat in the parking lot, a bag of burgers sat in between them. Kaito had insisted on ordering for both of them. Kaito handed him the burger he ordered for him. Shuichi unwrapped it, then took a small bite.

“Holy shit…” Shuichi said, looking down at the burger.

“Is it good? Do you like it?”

“Kaito, this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

* * *

Two hours later, Kaito and Shuichi pulled up to their destination, Death Valley. The sun had already started to set, so the sky was painted a beautiful pink-orange color. Shuichi took out the napkin that Kaede wrote directions on, and they set off. Thankfully, they could drive there so that they could get to the location pretty quickly. Kaede’s instructions weren’t perfect, though, and they did have to stop and ask for directions from a tall, extremely muscular green-haired park ranger with an intimidating expression. Despite his appearance, the man was very kind and helpful, directing them in the right way and giving them a blanket that he found in his car. The two of them thanked him and kept driving. 

Thirty minutes later, they had made it to Kaede and Maki’s spot. It was a large, open clearing, with mountains surrounding them and small bushes dotting the area. They pulled up and sat in the pick-up truck bed. As the sun set, it started getting colder, so Kaito wrapped the park ranger’s blanket around the both of them. Kaito’s arm was wrapped around Shuichi’s shoulders, and Shuichi had his arm snaked around Kaito’s waist. The two of them leaned against each other as they tilted their heads towards the sky.

“Hey, Kaito?”

“Yeah, Shuichi?”

“Do you wonder what the people we met are doing right now? Like Miu, Kiibo, Kaede, and Maki? And that hotel attendant? And Angie? And that park ranger?”

“Yeah, I hope they are having the best time they can have… I wonder if we could have been friends if this whole thing wasn’t happening. I really did feel a connection with them.”

Shuichi nodded. The two of them slipped into silence before Shuichi said, “I-I wish I could have confessed to you sooner…”

“I wish I confessed sooner too, but the universe wanted us to confess during the trip. It was fate!”

Shuichi smiled, “Yeah, I guess it was.”

The two of them lapsed into silence again, only being broken when Kaito started pointing out the different constellations as they appeared. They stared at the sky in awe as it lit up with millions of stars. Shuichi turned to look at Kaito. His eyes were wide as he looked around the sky, mouthing the different constellations. Shuichi snuggled into him more, looking to where Kaito was looking.

“It’s so beautiful...”

“Yeah,” Shuichi heard Kaito murmur, “It is.”

“Thank you for taking me.”

Kaito broke his gaze from the night sky to look at Shuichi. He kissed Shuichi softly on his forehead, “Of course. I’m so glad you came with me... It wouldn’t have been the same without you, Shuichi.”

The two of them stared at the sky together. Kaito pointed out constellations and rambling about each of the legends that went along with them. As they sat together, Shuichi noticed something. A small red dot. It was coming closer and closer to the Earth. His stomach plummeted. 

_ No. Not now. Please, not now. _

He felt his eyes start to water, “K-Kaito…”

Kaito pulled him closer to him, “I see it, Shuichi. Just look at me, it’ll be okay.”

Shuichi didn’t break his gaze from the red dot on the horizon that was slowly getting larger and larger.

“Shuichi! Shuichi, look at me!” 

Shuichi tore his eyes from the meteor quickly approaching the earth and turned to look at Kaito. 

He pressed his forehead to Shuichi’s.

He couldn’t stop crying.

“Kaito, I-I don’t want this to end! I-I love you!” He choked out between sobs.

Kaito gave him a soft kiss on his cheek and said, as a tear ran down his face, 

“I love ya too, Shuichi.” They kissed again, and at that moment, the meteor didn’t matter. 

The only thought the two of them had was:

_ I really am lucky, aren’t I? _

The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is the end!! as said before, thank you so much for reading. i’m planning on doing some re-writing and revisions when i become a better writer so yeah. 
> 
> thank you to all the people who commented and/or kudos-d (??), y’all really made me a lot more confident in my writing, which i was pretty insecure abt. so thanks again!
> 
> also fun fact: i’ve never been to the west coast or have had an in-n-out burger, but it is on my bucket list.
> 
> i really hope you enjoyed my fic and i hope you have a nice day (night? whenever you read this!)
> 
> edit: 10/4 haha i tried to edit this bc i was mad and bored so here you go xx might edit it again idk if i’m happy with it
> 
> also yeah thanks xx
> 
> another edit: holy shit??? thank you for 100 kudos??? oh my gosh??? i did not expect this to happen, thank yall!
> 
> hi twit moot reading this. you probably don’t know i’m addressing you but hello ashddjdjdj

**Author's Note:**

> !!! thank you for reading the first chapter! i’m currently writing the next chapter so yeah! please kudos and comment!


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